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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26441416">New Hearts, Made Broken</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MugetsuPipefox/pseuds/MugetsuPipefox'>MugetsuPipefox</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Nobodies are proper monsters, set during Kingdom Hearts 3 but like I took a hammer to canon, spot the Xion references</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:14:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,627</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26441416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MugetsuPipefox/pseuds/MugetsuPipefox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He turns back to Sora. “Why did you bring me back?”</p><p>But there’s not a hint of regret or doubt in Sora’s eyes. “No matter what anyone says, we’re not the same person, Roxas. You deserve to live your own life.”</p><p> </p><p>Or Roxas is brought back early, and no one thinks to tell him that Axel changed his name</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Axel &amp; Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Lea &amp; Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas &amp; Assassin Nobody, Roxas &amp; Sora (Kingdom Hearts)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>118</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>New Hearts, Made Broken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoopidyBoopidyBoop/gifts">BoopidyBoopidyBoop</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is dedicated to my gf because I love her</p><p>I wrote this entire thing specifically for one scene. Guess which one.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s contradictory to claim that Nobodies don’t exist, while also complaining that they’re causing you problems. And if you then finally manage to get rid of them, only to immediately turn around and find a way to bring them <em>back</em>, more than one type of moron is created.</p><p>(It’s also, while he’s thinking about it, kind of stupid that they’re called Nobodies and the Heartless are called Heartless. Nobodies have bodies, Heartless have hearts. Who thought these were good name choices?)</p><p>For a Nobody, Roxas does an awful lot of existing, and even more problem-causing. He’s proud of both of these achievements.</p><p>Still, the whole unwillingly-getting-forced-back-to-Sora thing makes that first one more than a little confusing.</p><p>The first thing he sees when he becomes aware of himself again is light. It’s blindingly bright, and the only thing that spares him from afterimages when he squints his eyes shut is the fact that he can <em>control</em> light, and therefore simply choose not to get them. He also dims the source while he’s at it, because he can do that too.</p><p>When he dares to look again, tactile sensations start to become visible ones. The padded thing he is reclined against is some kind of chair, and the hum of electronics is coming from a series of computers and assorted devices filling the surrounding... lab? It’s more high-tech than the one he took the time to destroy in the fake Twilight Town, and the knowledge that DiZ would never allow him something as welcoming as a <em>seat</em> reassures him that this isn’t an unwanted rerun.</p><p>Somehow, though, this isn’t as comforting as it probably should be. Because it means he has a lot more questions than answers.</p><p>...Then again, what else is new?</p><p>“Roxas?”</p><p>Roxas rolls his head to the left, and his first question is answered. Sora is standing just an arm’s length away, watching him anxiously. Beside him, in a lab coat, is another familiar face. But not a face Roxas expected to ever see again.</p><p>“Zexion?”</p><p>He takes it back; the question has not been answered. It has, instead, split into three more questions. All of which can be explained with the simple conclusion that this is not real. Because Zexion was annihilated at Castle Oblivion. And when you’re not supposed to exist in the first place, there’s not exactly much to leave behind when you actually don’t.</p><p>“Ienzo now, if you don’t mind,” Zexion-Ienzo says. He’s smiling genuinely. Roxas is immediately unnerved. “How are you feeling?”</p><p>“Confused,” he admits. Then, just in case Zexion-Ienzo forgot, “You faded.”</p><p>Ienzo shrugs, like this is inconsequential. “I got my heart back.”</p><p>Well now he knows this isn’t real. Unless the Dusks’ report was more half-assed than first thought. After all, they said Axel faded too, but that didn’t stop him from-</p><p>Axel.</p><p>Oh, god, <em>Axel.</em></p><p>The memory of the Betwixt and Between, seen through eyes that weren’t his own, springs unwanted to the forefront of Roxas’ mind. The smell of smoke, and the heat of an inferno. Axel tearing himself apart to save Sora.</p><p>Axel is gone. For real, this time. There’s no coming back from that.</p><p>The sharp sting of claws digging into the palms of his hands brings him back to the present, and it’s only then that Roxas realises that he’s in his true form. There’s no disguising that he’s a monster now – not that Sora hasn’t already long since known what he really is – but somehow the thought of Sora thinking he is one is unbearable.</p><p>It takes far more effort than it should to contort himself back into a human-passing shape. His whole body feels sluggish and drained, like he’s moving underwater.</p><p>He stares down at now-human hands, clad in the gloves he’s always worn. He’s dressed in the Organization coat. “Is this really happening?” he asks quietly. “Or am I dreaming?”</p><p>“It’s real, I promise,” Sora smiles at him, not a hint of disgust at what he’s just witnessed.</p><p>“How?”</p><p>“An analysis of Sora’s data revealed that your heart was sleeping inside his,” Ienzo says. “After that, it was a simple enough matter to transfer your heart into a Replica.”</p><p>It takes him three tries of repeating that to himself before he’s forced to admit that, no, he didn’t hear incorrectly, it just really does not make any sense. He knows what a Replica is (which is weird because he’s certain he’s never heard the term before), and Sora being some kind of heart-nesting doll is probably one of the least weird things about him. No, what stumps him is the ‘heart’ bit. Nobodies don’t have hearts. They drilled that into him long enough that it’s one of the few things he’s certain of (claims that his heart belongs to him notwithstanding).</p><p>Almost without realising it, Roxas lifts a hand to his chest. There’s something there, beneath the skin. “My... heart?”</p><p>“Xemnas lied to us,” Ienzo says. <em>That</em>, Roxas will believe. “As it happens, in the right conditions, Nobodies will eventually regrow their hearts.”</p><p>This must be what happened to Zexion. Faked his death to get away from the Organization, and then regrew his heart away from all the drama. Roxas is, admittedly, a little envious that he didn’t think to try that.</p><p>He turns back to Sora. “Why did you bring me back?”</p><p>He can’t figure it out. They don’t even know each other – the first time they actually met in anything even close to ‘in-person’, Roxas had done his very best to beat him to death. It’s not exactly what anyone can call a good first impression. And then the two times after that – less real, if that’s even possible – they spoke maybe three sentences to each other before Roxas went back to sleep.</p><p>But there’s not a hint of regret or doubt in Sora’s eyes. “No matter what anyone says, we’re not the same person, Roxas. You deserve to live your own life.”</p><p>Ah, that’s right. It’s because he’s Sora.</p><p>The chance to live freely is all he’s ever wanted; everything he’s ever fought for. He wanted to live so badly – to be with Axel and... no, just with Axel, and later Hayner, Pence, and Olette, forever – that he was willing to go through anyone who tried to get in the way. But that dream is now well and truly out of reach. Axel is gone for good. And Hayner, Pence, and Olette, as he knew them, were never real to begin with.</p><p>Sora makes a distressed noise, a hand flinching towards him at the same moment that something wet drops onto Roxas’ cheeks. He wipes it away, catching the droplets on his glove, and stares at them. This isn’t the first time this has happened.</p><p>“What’s this?” he asks, because even after all this time he still doesn’t understand it.</p><p>“You’re crying,” Sora says softly. “People cry when they’re feeling overwhelmed. It’s usually sadness, but it can be from other things, too.”</p><p>It’s a serious design flaw, then, Roxas thinks. If this is what having a heart is like, he’s not sure he wants one.</p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>They (with Donald and Goofy, who are waiting impatiently outside) travel from the lab in Radiant Garden to a world called Mysterious Tower via Sora’s gummiship. It’s on the fringes of Twilight Town, although they don’t need to go through one to reach the other.</p><p>Mysterious Tower is just a single floating island with, as the name suggests, a mysterious tower poking out of it. The entire place is cast in the purple hue of the twilight surrounding it, but as Roxas stares up at it as he follows the others out of the ship, he can easily say it’s different from the one in Twilight Town.</p><p>“Bet you don’t know why the sun sets red,” he whispers to himself.</p><p>The Tower’s entrance opens into a round room with a spiralling staircase. Roxas traces its path upwards, and realises with surprise that it disappears into the glow of a portal. There are two other disconnected staircases higher up, both also cut off by their own portals.</p><p>“What is this place?”</p><p>“It’s Master Yen Sid’s home,” Sora leads the way. “But he’s letting us use it as a sort-of base while we prepare.”</p><p>“Prepare?” Roxas echoes. He’s never heard of anyone named Master Yen Sid. What’s he a master of?</p><p>“For the Keyblade War,” Donald, taking up the rear, replies.</p><p>“<em>Keyblade</em> war?”</p><p>“Aw, don’t worry, Roxas,” Goofy smiles. “Master Yen Sid will explain everything!”</p><p>The first portal opens into yet another round room. There are decorative moon symbols above each of the doors, with the biggest being the one directly ahead. The big moon door leads to the next staircase, Sora explains, while the rest are bedrooms. Apparently the number of them varies depending on how many people are staying in the Tower. At the moment, there are five.</p><p>The second room is almost identical, except that instead of moons it has stars, and there are only four doors. Sora points to each in turn as they make their way to the next staircase: a kitchen, a dining room, and a living area they’ve taken to calling the Rec Room.</p><p>The third staircase takes them directly to Master Yen Sid’s study. It’s a relatively empty room, with a few bookshelves lining the walls, and narrow windows. Another door leads off to the right. Just back from the centre is a large wooden desk, and seated behind it is an old man in blue robes.</p><p>Sora, Donald, and Goofy stand to attention in front of him. Roxas doesn’t bother. He can only assume this is Master Yen Sid.</p><p>“I see you have successfully relearned the power of waking,” he says smoothly, glancing pointedly at Roxas.</p><p>“Yep!” Sora grins. He tucks his hands behind his head, relaxing. “Master Yen Sid, this is Roxas.”</p><p>“Um,” Roxas says eloquently. “Hi.”</p><p>For some reason, Master Yen Sid looks dubious.</p><p>“Welcome, Roxas,” he greets after a beat. “I imagine you have many questions.”</p><p>“A few,” he understates.</p><p>Master Yen Sid nods. “There is much we will need to discuss, in due time. But first...” He waves his hand, and a suitcase appears in the middle of the desk. “The good fairies have prepared some new garments for you, and our friends at Disney Castle have provided you with a gummiphone. Take some time to rest, and to contact old friends.”</p><p>Roxas frowns. Old friends? He only has two friends – Axel and... and who? No, just one friend. Just Axel. And unless he finds a way to travel through time, there’s no way to contact him now. Still, he reaches out for the suitcase’s handle.</p><p>“Tomorrow, we shall discuss the circumstances of your return.”</p><p>Well that’s an ominous sentence if ever he’s heard one, but he <em>is </em>still feeling strangely tired. He takes the dismissal for what it is, and follows Sora back out into the stairway. Donald and Goofy remain behind, asking after the king.</p><p>“This is your room,” Sora announces when they make it back to the Moon Chamber. He’s stopped outside one of the doors, and pushes it open.</p><p>It’s about the size of the room he had in the digital Twilight Town, and while it’s a lot less cluttered, the furniture is similar, and set out almost exactly the same. The window over the bed overlooks the Tower’s entrance, and the light filtering in casts the room purple. Roxas enters slowly, absently setting the suitcase down on the bed as he takes it all in.</p><p>“I’ll leave you to get some rest,” Sora draws his attention back to the doorway. “Ienzo said you’d probably be tired for a while, while your heart adjusts. Dinner’s at six in the dining room.”</p><p>There’s hesitance in the way he’s fidgeting, like he doesn’t really want to leave Roxas on his own. Some time to process is exactly what Roxas needs, though, so he nods in a way that he hopes is reassuring.</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>“We didn’t tell the others we were bringing you back, in case it didn’t work.” He tilts his head towards the suitcase. “You can let them know, if you want. Everyone’s numbers are already programmed into your gummiphone.”</p><p>Right. ‘Contact old friends’. “Okay.”</p><p>“Okay,” Sora echoes. He lingers a moment longer, then slips back out into the Moon Chamber. The door clicks shut behind him.</p><p>The first thing Roxas does once he’s alone is sigh.</p><p>The second, is open the suitcase. Inside is a set of clothes, but what catches his attention is the colourful, blocky device sitting on top. This must be the ‘gummiphone’.</p><p>It takes him several tries to figure out how to turn it on. A bunch of small, square pictures light up on the screen, and he spends the next little while going through them all. There’s a camera function, and a bunch of games. And, finally, ‘Contacts’.</p><p>It’s a list of names, with the option to call or message each of them:</p><p>   Chip &amp; Dale<br/>
   Ienzo<br/>
   Kairi<br/>
   Lea<br/>
   Mickey<br/>
   Sora<br/>
   Riku</p><p>He’s not sure what they’re expecting him to do with this. The only one on this list even close to being an ‘old friend’ is Ienzo, and even then they only knew each other for two weeks before Zexion left for Castle Oblivion. He supposes Sora, too, if he can count someone who is basically himself as a friend. But if he wants to ‘contact’ Sora, he can just go and talk to him in person. He doesn’t even know who ‘Chip &amp; Dale’ and ‘Lea’ are.</p><p>It’s not unexpected, though. Roxas’ friends are gone.</p><p>He tosses the gummiphone back into the suitcase, shuts it, and kicks it under the bed. He doesn’t get changed into the new clothes; the coat on his back is all he has left of his old life. And he’s not sure yet if he’s ready to part with it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>Master Yen Sid wasn’t kidding when he said they had ‘much to discuss’. Roxas sits through what must be nearly an hour of explanations.</p><p>They’re in the middle of preparing for a war, they tell him. The Organization Roxas was part of has been dismantled, but a new one has risen in its place, led by someone called Master Xehanort, who is half of Xemnas’ Somebody (half??). Their ranks are filled out with ‘Thirteen Darknesses’, many of whom have had their hearts brought from the past into Replicas (???), and then been given part of Xehanort’s for good measure (<em>????</em>). They’re still after Kingdom Hearts, but this time, instead of collecting hearts to create it, they’re going to fight seven ‘Guardians of Light’ to create something called a X-blade to summon it, which will then let them plunge all the worlds into darkness.</p><p>Needless to say, most of it goes right over Roxas’ head.</p><p>“At the moment, we don’t have all of our seven yet,” Sora finishes. “But Riku and Mickey are out looking for Aqua right now, and once we find her, she’ll help us find Ven, too.”</p><p>“So,” Roxas starts, feeling strangely hollow, “the reason you brought me back is because you need me to be one of these Guardians of Light?”</p><p>“The need to fill our ranks expedited your return,” Master Yen Sid confirms, at the same time Sora loudly declares, “No!”</p><p>Roxas stares between them. Clearly <em>they</em> have some things to discuss, too. “Well, which is it?”</p><p>Sora and Master Yen Sid share a look, Sora glaring, Master Yen Sid impassive.</p><p>“I brought you back because you deserve to live,” Sora says fiercely, as if daring Master Yen Sid to refute it. “If you decide you want to be a Guardian of Light, that’s just an added bonus. But you <em>don’t have to</em>. You don’t even have to stay here. You can do whatever you want now.”</p><p>Master Yen Sid is not in agreement, but he doesn’t counter Sora’s claims.</p><p>Roxas is once again reminded why everyone always chose Sora over him. He’s so <em>good</em>; selfless, where Roxas is selfish. If things were the other way around, he knows without a doubt that Sora wouldn’t even hesitate to say he wants to help. But Roxas isn’t Sora. He barely understands what’s going on, and having the freedom to make his own choices is a foreign concept. But what he does know is that he will never let himself be reduced to a number again.</p><p>It feels wrong to say no, like he owes Sora a debt and is skipping out on the chance to repay it, but Roxas has never been good at doing the right thing.</p><p>“Can I think about it?”</p><p>“Kairi and Lea are due to return in five days,” Master Yen Sid says. “Upon their return, we shall need to be ready to leave. You have until then to make your decision.”</p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>Roxas spends the next few hours holed up in his room, watching the view of the sky from his windowsill. He knows he should be making a decision. Instead, he’s thinking about Twilight Town sunsets.</p><p>He feels hollower now than he ever did when he didn’t have a heart.</p><p>It’s around two o’clock by the time Sora decides he’s done with letting Roxas mope by himself.</p><p>“You didn’t come to dinner last night,” he says when he comes to drag Roxas out of his room, even if that means kicking and screaming. “And you missed lunch. I’m not letting you starve yourself.”</p><p>It’s only when he’s forced all the way to the dining room that Roxas realises that Sora has absolutely no idea what Nobodies eat.</p><p>“Little Chef has been teaching me to cook,” he says, shoving Roxas down into a chair. Once he’s certain Roxas isn’t about to run off, he sets a plate of round flat things in front of him.</p><p>“What is this?” Roxas lifts the top one on the stack with the tip of a knife, and lets it flop back down.</p><p>“They’re called pancakes.” Sora grabs a bottle of something called ‘syrup’, and starts pouring it over the top of the stack. Some of it slides down Roxas’ knife and onto his glove.</p><p>“Sora, Nobodies eat-” He cuts himself off as he licks the syrup off the leather. His eyes blow wide. Forget what Nobodies are supposed to eat, <em>this </em>Nobody is eating syrup. It’s about as filling as swallowing air, but damn if it isn’t the second best thing he’s ever eaten.</p><p>Sora watches him stuff his face in obvious satisfaction, and when the plate is licked clean, the discovery of just how few different types of human food Roxas has tried leads to an entire afternoon of culinary exploration.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>Roxas sleeps in until past midday on the third day. When he finally emerges from his room, it’s to find the Tower is almost eerily quiet. A cursory check of the number of bedrooms in the Moon Chamber confirms that there’s no one but him home. No one except Master Yen Sid, presumably, but Roxas is starting to think he might actually be glued to his desk chair.</p><p>With no one to sidetrack him, and no one to try and stop him, Roxas doesn’t bother letting anyone know he’s leaving. It’s only once he steps outside onto the grass and sees the purple sky that he decides he wants to go to Twilight Town.</p><p>As if summoned by that very thought, there’s a flare of light, and the ghost train pulls up on the floating tracks by the island’s edge.</p><p>Roxas huffs – how fitting – and when the door slides open on its own, he doesn’t hesitate to step into the empty carriage.</p><p>Instead of running along the line to Sunset Station like it had in the digital Twilight Town, this time it goes straight to Central Station. Roxas watches the world go past through his window, and when it finally pulls to a stop, he flicks his hood up to hide the effect the nostalgia has had on him.</p><p>There’s no world Roxas knows or likes more than Twilight Town. He was born here, and he ‘died’ here. Every friend he ever made he made here, and, coincidentally, this is also where he lost them all. He could navigate it with his eyes closed. Even so, as he makes his way down Market Street, he can’t help but feel like a stranger, and it becomes all the more jarring when he reaches Tram Common and sees just how much it’s changed.</p><p>The empty lot and its surrounding buildings have been turned into something called a Bistro, with seating out the front in a slightly sunken courtyard. There are posters on the bulletin board advertising the new open-air cinema, which has been put up in the tram lot for some kind of film festival that looks like it stars Sora. Someone has patched the hole in the wall leading to the woods. These things are fine – interesting, even – and if he wasn’t feeling quite so overwhelmed, he would have been interested in trying the Bistro’s menu, or sitting through a few of the films.</p><p>As it is, he stares at the Moogle shop that used to be where he and Axel always got their ice creams, and tries not to cry.</p><p>The whole of Twilight Town has moved on from them. And Roxas has once again been left behind.</p><p>He uses a Dark Corridor to reach the top of the clock tower, not in the mood for climbing all those steps. The view, at least, remains the same.</p><p>Roxas sits down on the ledge, and unwraps his grocery store-bought sea-salt ice cream. It tastes different, and he ends up letting it melt, uneaten.</p><p>Half an hour later, it reveals itself to be a winner stick. He clutches it in his now-stained glove, and wishes he had someone to share it with.</p><p>Roxas slips the stick into his pocket as he stands to leave, pausing when his fingers brush against something solid. It’s a seashell – one of the ones found on the Destiny Islands. He doesn’t know why the sight of it fills him with grief.</p><p>They never did make it to the beach.</p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>There’s a Nobody in the Plaza.</p><p>More accurately, an <em>Assassin</em> Nobody.</p><p>Roxas stares at it over his shoulder from where he’s halfway up the steps to the station. The Assassin stares back. Or, at least, it would if it had eyes. Do they have eyes? Roxas never bothered to check.</p><p>The last time he saw one of these, they’d been trying to stop him from reaching the mansion in the digital Twilight Town. In hindsight, Roxas really wishes he went with Axel, who he had on good authority was his best friend, instead of trusting some random stranger who refused to even show their face. Maybe things would be different now, if he had. Maybe he wouldn’t be standing here having a staring contest with an Assassin.</p><p>Or maybe he would. Who can say?</p><p>“I don’t want to fight you,” he tells it, resisting the urge to summon a Keyblade. An Assassin isn’t Axel, but it’s a close enough association that he doesn’t think he’ll be able to destroy it.</p><p>The Assassin is apparently in agreement, because it doesn’t move.</p><p>Roxas pushes open the station door, keeping an eye on it the entire time. As soon as he steps inside, it melts into the ground, and follows after him like a sentient puddle. But it keeps its distance, and it doesn’t once make an attempt to attack.</p><p>Roxas buys his return ticket, and glances back as he boards the ghost train. As the train pulls away from the station, he spots the Assassin, now once again solid, in the shadow of the platform. It watches him go until he’s out of sight.</p><p>♥</p><p>
  
</p><p>Roxas is still the only one ‘home’ when the fourth day rolls around. He wakes up tired, a lack of food starting to take its toll, but he’s really not in the mood for another trip off-world. Instead, he stands in the centre of his room with his hands on his hips, and glares at the furniture.</p><p>There has to be something he can do about this.</p><p>When he woke up that morning, for a long moment he forgot where he was, confused between fake memories and real ones. It might be the only time it’s happened, and probably only because he went to Twilight Town the day before, but he is not willing to risk a repeat performance.</p><p>He’s pretty sure he’ll get in trouble if he shoves all the furniture into a Dark Corridor and throws it directly into the sun (and it’s not like he has enough munny to buy replacements anyway), but maybe he can rearrange it. Move the desk under the window, and the bed along the right wall, beneath the shelf. Maybe add a rug, if he can pinch one from somewhere without Master Yen Sid knowing.</p><p>With a resolute nod, he grabs the bed by the footboard, and begins dragging it away from the window.</p><p>The hardest part of this plan ends up being the wardrobe. It’s made of solid wood, which means it’s unreasonably heavy. Roxas tries pushing it, pulling it, and shouting at it, but when all of these fail, he shifts into his true form, digs his feet into the floorboards, and throws his shoulder and back into it hard enough to hurt. It scrapes an inch across the floorboards, and doesn’t go any further.</p><p>“Come <em>on!</em>” he spits through clenched teeth. Maybe he should have gone with his first plan. He could sneak by Beast’s Castle on his way back and borrow one of the wardrobes that moves by itself. “<em>Move!</em>”</p><p>And, miraculously, the wardrobe starts to move.</p><p>So satisfied by his sudden progress, it takes him a good few seconds before he pauses to wonder <em>why</em>.</p><p>Roxas startles backwards, flinging himself away so hard that he nearly falls through the window. The Assassin from yesterday, long arms still pressed up against the wardrobe’s side, turns to stare at him judgementally.</p><p>For a long moment, there is only silence.</p><p>“Did you follow me back?” Roxas demands.</p><p><em>Yes</em>, it says.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>
  <em>My liege is gone.</em>
</p><p>Some of Roxas’ fire goes out. He glares a hole into the floor. “He faded.”</p><p><em>Yes.</em> The Assassin drops its arms. It looks about as sad as a heartless monster can possibly look. Or maybe it’s just that its lack of bones makes it sag more than most. <em>My liege was looking for you.</em></p><p>Roxas knows this. Sora was there when Axel faded, so Roxas heard what he said. That doesn’t change the fact that he still sacrificed himself for Sora. And it also doesn’t answer why, exactly, this Assassin is stalking him.</p><p>“Why are you following me?”</p><p><em>You were important to my liege, </em>it says. <em>I will protect you in my liege’s place.</em></p><p>“I don’t need your protection!” Roxas bites out, tone harsher than he intends. He can destroy this Nobody with a single swing of Oblivion. It’s no stronger than any of the other lesser Nobodies, and Roxas’ veritable army of Samurai can do more than this singular Assassin could hope to, even if it was. It’s little more than cannon fodder, as far as any of the numbered members of the Organization were ever concerned.</p><p>But it belonged to Axel, and knowing that, he can’t just send it away, even if it would actually listen to him.</p><p>The Assassin doesn’t argue, but it also doesn’t leave. After a moment, it turns back to continue trying to move the wardrobe. It doesn’t make any progress. Roxas watches it struggle, and then steps forward to help.</p><p>Together, they get it over to the left of the room, and then the Assassin helps him finish moving the desk and the bed in half the time it would take on his own. When they’re done, they stand just in from the doorway, and survey their handiwork.</p><p>It’s still all too familiar, but it’s better. Roxas feels better.</p><p>“Hey,” he says quietly, turning to look down at the Assassin. It doesn’t look at him. “Do you have a heart?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>The idea comes to him in a dream. It’s barely four in the morning when he sits bolt upright in bed, clinging to the parts that matter even as the haze of sleep tries to steal them away. Roxas leans over the edge, peering into the semi-darkness, until he spots the puddle of his stalker behind the forgotten suitcase.</p><p>“Would you take orders from me?”</p><p>The puddle shifts slightly, but the answer doesn’t come for a long while. <em>Yes.</em></p><p>The pause is concerning. “Do you think the other Assassins would, too? Or has someone in the new Organization XIII taken over control?”</p><p>It starts to rise from the floorboards in indignation, only to bump its head on the slats of the bed and sink back down again. <em>We have sworn allegiance only to our liege.</em></p><p>Roxas already controls the Samurai. From the sounds of things, no one has control of the Assassins. This one will listen to him, but there’s no guarantee that the others will. But if he can convince them, those two subclasses make up a lot of Nobodies. Nowhere near as many as the enemy has control over, but still nothing to sniff at. And Samurai and Assassins will make short work of a hoard of low-level Heartless. Combine that with whatever other low ranking Nobodies he can convert (the Dusks and Creepers, for example), and he’ll basically have an army at his control.</p><p>Roxas slides out of bed, already working out all the kinks in his plan. As it solidifies in his mind, he starts to realise what, exactly, this means for him.</p><p>Well, he thinks, yanking the suitcase out of hiding, if he’s going to do this, he might as well go all the way.</p><p>The clothes fit perfectly. It’s only the knowledge that they probably based his size off Sora that stops him from being freaked out by it. When he looks at his reflection in the wardrobe’s mirror, the version of him that stares back is someone he doesn’t recognise. He’s not Number XIII anymore, and he’s not Roxas From Twilight Town, either. This Roxas is someone new, built from their echoes. A new heart, made from broken pieces, but it’s his. And he’ll fight for his right to keep it.</p><p>The Assassin slinks out from under the bed. Roxas ignores it, fishing out the winner stick and the seashell from his old coat and tucking them safely into his jacket pocket, over his heart. They’re gone, but he’ll always carry them with him.</p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>Because he’s only a monster in the literal sense, Roxas waits until a more reasonable hour before he goes to talk to Master Yen Sid. They fill the time between now and then by raiding the pantry. Even though it has no discernable mouth, the Assassin is in complete agreement that human food is unfairly good.</p><p>“Do you have a name?” Roxas asks, munching on some kind of weird O-shaped chips. It’s kind of weird that the human passing Nobodies have names but not the lesser ones, especially if they all used to be people.</p><p><em>Burger Ring</em>, the Assassin dives for the packet. It practically folds itself inside it, and when it retreats again, it has barbeque flavoured rings sitting on the tips of each arm spike. It lifts them to the vicinity of its mouth if it had one, and the rings disappear one by one.</p><p>“Okay,” Roxas says. Burger Ring is kind of a weird name, but who’s he to judge?</p><p>Packet now empty, Burger Ring disappears back into the pantry. Roxas listens to the rummaging sounds, licking flavouring off his fingers.</p><p>“Is there any syrup in there?”</p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>Master Yen Sid is not expecting him. Roxas thinks this is fair enough, given how he’s been basically avoiding him since the second day. It doesn’t really come as a surprise that he’s still sitting at his desk when Roxas enters without knocking, but it <em>is </em>surprising when, a moment later, he surges to his feet as Burger Ring decides to join them.</p><p>“I’ve decided to be one of the Guardians of Light,” Roxas says by way of greeting, noting with interest that Master Yen Sid is <em>not</em> actually glued to his seat.</p><p>Master Yen Sid’s attention, previously fixed on Burger Ring, slides back to him. He makes a show of sitting back down calmly, but it’s obvious he’s still unnerved.</p><p>“May I ask what has swayed your decision?” he asks, voice as steady as ever despite his expression.</p><p>Roxas shrugs. There are a lot of reasons, really. The main one being that he owes the Organization a serious ass-whooping, but he’s pretty sure revenge isn’t condoned by the ‘good guys’. “I can’t exactly live freely if the worlds fall to darkness, right?”</p><p>Master Yen Sid hums.</p><p>“And I had an idea.”</p><p>Maser Yen Sid hums again, this time with interest.</p><p>“I might have a heart now, but I’m still a Nobody. The Samurai still listen to me.” Which he promptly proves by summoning one to stand on the side opposite Burger Ring. Master Yen Sid twitches. “And it looks like at least some of Axel’s Assassins will too. If I can find enough of them, and convince some of the weakest ranked ones to switch sides, it’ll give us a better chance of evening the playing field.”</p><p>Because there’s no chance in hell that Xehanort and his pals are going to fight fair, so Roxas sees no reason why they should either. Honestly, even if Master Yen Sid refuses the idea, Roxas will still go through with it anyway. It’ll be nice to have the approval, though, if he can get it.</p><p>Master Yen Sid strokes his beard, considering. “I can see the merit in your plan,” he says at length. “You have my approval. <em>But-</em>”</p><p>Roxas’ smile falters before it can even form.</p><p>“-I will not allow my Tower to become overrun. You must find somewhere else to amass them.”</p><p>Roxas nods his agreement. He’s already got a place in mind.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>It takes him the better part of two days until he’s satisfied with the numbers. The new Organization XIII, whoever and wherever they are, clearly have no interest in reclaiming the Castle That Never Was (But Is And Continues To Be). The Dusks slinking around the halls confirm this, but Roxas still takes his time to look around for himself before he can relax.</p><p>The place is still inhabited by Nobodies. Most of them are Dusks, but when he visits his old room, he finds a bunch of Samurai waiting there for him like he never left. And Axel’s room is basically swarming with Assassins. Those that will obey him he gathers in the Hall of Empty Melodies, while Burger Ring sets out to find more Assassins.</p><p>By the time Burger Ring returns with a small following of new friends, the Hall is so full they’re starting to spill out into the connecting hallways. It’s honestly more than Roxas expected to be able to gather, and when he leaves to head back to the Tower with the promise to call on them when the time comes, he’s more confident that this will work than he was before.</p><p>It’s well into the evening at the Tower when he makes it back. There are seven bedrooms when he passes through the Moon Chamber, and the sound of voices coming from the Rec Room in the Star Chamber makes it clear that he’s not the only one who’s returned. Burger Ring ditches him for the kitchen as he makes his way towards Master Yen Sid’s study.</p><p>Master Yen Sid is writing something in a book when Roxas makes his way inside. He doesn’t acknowledge him until Roxas drops a sheet of paper in the way, forcing him to stop.</p><p>He sets down his quill. “What is this?”</p><p>“My report,” Roxas tells him. “Mission complete.”</p><p>Something that’s almost a smile twitches at Master Yen Sid’s lips as he goes over it. “It is not necessary to write up a report,” he says, “though I do appreciate your dedication.”</p><p>Roxas shifts uncomfortably. He wrote it because that’s what he’s always done. It never even occurred to him that he might not need to.</p><p>“You have amassed quite the force.”</p><p>“Xehanort never bothered to go to the Castle. Any Nobodies they’re using must have been called specifically to them.”</p><p>Master Yen Sid nods, setting aside the report and leaning back in his seat. “The others have returned from their own missions. Tomorrow, Sora and Aqua shall go retrieve Ventus, and Kairi and Lea will return from their training. I trust you are ready.”</p><p>“I’m ready,” Roxas says, more sure than he’s been in a long time.</p><p>When he returns to the Star Chamber, it’s with the intention of stopping by to say hi to Sora and the others. Burger Ring, back from its raid, emerges from a shadow across the room just as the door to the Rec Room swings open. A woman with blue hair – probably Aqua – steps out with Sora, and they both freeze when they spot it. Two Keyblades flare to life, but while Sora is instantly on the defensive, Aqua goes in for the attack.</p><p>Burger Ring will fall easily to a Keyblade.</p><p>Roxas doesn’t so much run as he does wrap himself in darkness to teleport. One second he’s behind them, and the next he’s standing between Aqua and Axel’s Assassin, catching her Keyblade on the crossed shafts of Oathkeeper and Oblivion.</p><p>“<em>Don’t!</em>” he hisses.</p><p>Burger Ring flaps its arms, ascending into the air.</p><p>
  <em>Enemies?</em>
</p><p>“No,” Roxas tells it. “They’re allies. Stand down.”</p><p>Aqua is staring at him with wide eyes. She steps back, letting her Keyblade hang limply in her hand while the other comes up to cover her mouth<em>.</em> Her eyes are wet. “Ven?”</p><p>“Roxas!” Sora rushes forwards. His Keyblade is gone, but he still eyes Burger Ring warily where it hasn’t stopped hovering. “Why is there an Assassin in here?”</p><p>Roxas straightens, but keeps Oathkeeper and Oblivion at the ready, just in case. Taking this as a cue to relax, Burger Ring melts into the floor, settling in the shadow by his feet. “Its name is Burger Ring.”</p><p>Sora frowns. “Burger Ring?”</p><p><em>I want Burger Rings, </em>says Burger Ring.</p><p>Roxas ignores it. “While you’ve been gone, I’ve been rounding up all of the lesser Nobodies that will listen to me.”</p><p>“That’s a great idea!” Sora grins. “The new Organization aren’t gonna know what hit ‘em!”</p><p>Oh, Roxas is going to make sure they know.</p><p>Aqua, who appears not to be following the conversation at all, finally dismisses her Keyblade. Robotically, she reaches out for him. Burger Ring snakes up a spiked arm to bat it away before it can touch him.</p><p>“Cut it out!” he scowls at it, bopping it in the side with the blunt end of Oathkeeper. Burger Ring recoils, leaping out of the ground and twirling around in a defensive circle.</p><p>“<em>Oh</em>,” Sora says. “Burger Ring.”</p><p>Satisfied that it’s finally got the message, Roxas turns back to Aqua. “You’re Aqua, right?”</p><p>Her attention darts back to him from where she’s been staring at Burger Ring’s spinning form. For some reason, the question seems to distress her further. “You don’t remember?”</p><p>“Remember?”</p><p>Sora looks between them. “You guys have met before?”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>They stare at each other.</p><p>“Ven,” Aqua says, “we’ve known each other for years.”</p><p>Oh, she’s mistaken him for someone else. Roxas quickly dismisses his Keyblades so he won’t be tempted to break anything. “My name is Roxas.”</p><p>“We’re going to get Ven first thing in the morning, remember?” Sora reminds her.</p><p>Aqua is visibly confused. “But-”</p><p>“I don’t know you,” Roxas cuts her off. “And I don’t know any Ven. I’m <em>Roxas</em>.”</p><p>The commotion has attracted the rest of them. Because of course Riku can’t keep his nose out of Roxas’ business, even when he has no idea what’s going on. Donald, Goofy, and Mickey, on the other hand, seem to have some idea.</p><p>“Gosh, I’m sorry, Aqua,” Mickey waddles over. “I should’ve warned ya! I know they might look the same, but I promise Roxas and Ven are different people.”</p><p>Look the same. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Roxas rounds on him. As if sharing his face with one person isn’t bad enough, now there’s a second?</p><p>Mickey smiles apologetically. “Gee, I don’t really understand it myself. You’re Sora’s Nobody, but you and Ven are practically identical.”</p><p>“Nobody?” Aqua echoes. “The sentient husks of people who lost their hearts?”</p><p>That’s him, just a sentient husk.</p><p>“Sora released his heart to save Kairi,” Riku explains. He’s watching Roxas with sharp eyes, like he expects him to lash out with more than just words. Roxas almost wants to, but he refuses to give Riku the satisfaction. “In doing so, he became a Heartless, and that created Roxas.”</p><p>Aqua is horrified. Of course she is. Nobodies are monsters, even when they’re pretending not to be.</p><p>“He has his own heart now,” Sora protests.</p><p><em>Are you sure they are allies?</em> Burger Ring coils around his feet restlessly.</p><p>Allies, yes. But not friends. He doesn’t have any friends here.</p><p>It’s an unwanted reminder, and the grief slams into him again full-force. He doesn’t hear what the others are saying anymore. A Corridor opens for him without a word, and he slips into it before any of them have the chance to stop him.</p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>Even after all the work Sora has done, the Twilight Town woods are still absolutely crawling with Heartless. With the hole patched, it’s even more deserted than usual, so Roxas doesn’t hesitate to shed his skin, letting his body contort itself bonelessly as he tears into the Heartless.</p><p>An Emblem Heartless dissipates into smoke as Roxas sinks his teeth in and shreds it. It’s only once he gets a taste that he realises just how starving he is. All he’s eaten in the last six days is human food.</p><p>Eventually, the tirade of Heartless begins to slow. He devours more than he destroys, and there’s something cathartic about pointless destruction. It probably helps that each one he eats helps to fill his empty stomach. He catches the last Shadow in his claws, and bites its head off. He wonders what it’d taste like if he put syrup on them.</p><p>There’s a sound from behind him, like a muffled gasp. Roxas flinches, whirling around, and is surprised to find Aqua standing a little further down the path. Her horror is plain to see, eyes fixed first on the evaporating darkness of the Shadow, and then on Roxas’ inhuman form. If she’s here, then she came looking for him. But evidently she isn’t expecting a monster, despite her earlier words.</p><p>“What do you want?” he glares. He’s taken too long; the Shadow is barely there now.</p><p>“Sora... said I might find you here,” she says, voice becoming more certain as she goes.</p><p>“What do you <em>want?!”</em></p><p>“I wanted to apologise.” She’s holding his gaze, but she doesn’t look like she wants to. “I’m sorry I mistook you for someone else. It took a bit of explaining, but I think I understand now. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to upset you.”</p><p>“I’m not upset,” Roxas lies. At least, he’s not as upset about it as he is about the reminder that he’s alone. Filling his stomach has helped, though.</p><p>“I’m sorry anyway.”</p><p>He looks down at his claws. The Shadow is gone, but there are still smudges of darkness clinging to them. He resists the urge to lick them clean. “Do I really look like him?”</p><p>“Not right now.” It’s strained.</p><p>He rolls his eyes (well <em>obviously</em>) and contorts himself back into human shape. Aqua averts her gaze. “Now?”</p><p>When she turns back to him, he can tell it’s not him she’s seeing. “Yes.”</p><p>At least she has the decency to be honest.</p><p>“But you’re not completely identical, now that I’m actually paying attention.” She points at her hair. “Ven’s hair is lighter than yours. And I think your face is a little rounder. You look younger than him.”</p><p>“I’m 371 days old,” he tells her. “If you don’t count the time I stopped existing.” Well, stopped existing even <em>more</em>.</p><p>Aqua actually smiles at him. “Happy birthday for last week, then!”</p><p>Happy... birthday? What’s a birthday?</p><p>“You’re a self-taught Keyblade wielder, aren’t you?” she continues, oblivious to his confusion. “As a birthday present, how about I teach you something new?”</p><p>It’s well past dinnertime by the time Roxas gets the hang of ‘shotlocks’, and by then they’re both worn out enough that he offers to treat her to a meal at the Bistro. After the initial tension wears off, and she starts treating him as himself and not Ven, he even starts to enjoy himself. Maybe, when the war is over, he’ll treat her to ice cream, too.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>Sora and Aqua have already left by the time Roxas makes it to the dining room in the morning. Donald and Goofy have remained behind, from the loud talking coming from the Rec Room as he passes it by, as have Riku and Mickey – the latter two still finishing their breakfast when Roxas enters the room.</p><p>Roxas takes one look at Riku, and decides maybe he’ll skip breakfast today. In that exact moment, Riku glances up at meets his eye.</p><p>Which of course makes it a challenge, and Roxas refuses to lose anything to Riku. He sits down at the table, and to punctuate it, he doesn’t even take the furthest possible chair. A magic broom senses his craving for pancakes, and places a towering plate of them right in front of him. Roxas holds Riku’s gaze, and stabs his knife right into the centre of the stack.</p><p>“Good morning, Roxas,” Mickey says, either oblivious to or ignoring the tension.</p><p>“Morning,” he grunts back. He picks the top pancake from the stack and tosses it at the floor. Burger Ring, under the table, catches it and retreats out of sight.</p><p>“I didn’t think Nobodies ate regular food,” Riku comments offhandedly.</p><p>Roxas drowns his remaining pancakes in an obscene amount of syrup, and takes an obnoxiously large bite. “We eat Heartless.”</p><p>Mickey hums. “I wonder what Heartless taste like.”</p><p>“Not as good as syrup.” Still good, though. He wonders if Naminé has ever eaten human food, or if she’s only ever had Heartless. Probably not – she was stuck with DiZ, after all. Roxas would be surprised if he let her eat anything at all.</p><p>“Lea and Kairi are due back this afternoon,” Riku changes the subject, tone indicating that this is something Roxas should be excited about.</p><p>He’s never met Kairi in person, but he’s pretty sure they talked once while he was falling off the clock tower. He still doesn’t have a clue who Lea is. “Okay?”</p><p>Riku frowns at him. “Did you guys have a fight?”</p><p>“No?” There’s not a whole lot of time for arguments when you’re falling to your fake death.</p><p>Riku is visibly dissatisfied, but lets it drop.</p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>There’s very little else to do but wait now. They’re as prepared as they can be, and once Sora and Aqua get back with Ven, and Kairi and Lea return from training, there’s only one final brief left. After that, it’s straight to war. Roxas can’t exactly say he’s excited about it, but he’s not <em>not</em> excited either.</p><p>He kills the morning practicing his new shotlock against Goofy. Well, Goofy’s shield, that Goofy is holding. Donald watches from the sidelines, ready with a cure spell should it be needed, but Roxas goes easy, and Donald ends up falling asleep after about an hour.</p><p>They’re forced to vacate the courtyard at around midday, when the gummiship comes in to land. The noise of it wakes Donald with a startled quack, and Goofy has to hold him back from trying to fight the ship before he realises what’s going on. Roxas stands with them on the steps as the ramp lowers, and realises he’s nervous. He spent a long time hating Sora by proxy. He doesn’t want to hate Ven for the same reason, especially when it’s not something either of them have any control over. But he can’t guarantee that that feeling is mutual.</p><p>Sora is the first out, grinning and waving as he catches sight of them, as if he’s been gone for months and not just a handful of hours. Aqua is next, at a far more sedate pace, and with her...</p><p>It’s like staring into a mirror. Except for his clothes and the few minor differences Aqua mentioned, Roxas and Ven really are identical. Ven realises it too, stopping dead in his tracks when they meet each other’s eye.</p><p>“Are you coming, Ven?” Aqua calls back to him.</p><p>“Huh?” Ven snaps out of his shock. Even their voices are the same. “Yeah, sorry.”</p><p>Sora bounds up the steps to stand beside Roxas. “Are you okay?” he whispers in his ear.</p><p>Roxas takes a breath, and does his best to relax. “I’m okay.”</p><p>“Are you sure? You can leave if you need to. They’ll understand.”</p><p>Roxas shakes his head. Sora is so good. “We might look the same, but we’re different people,” he echoes Sora’s words back to him. Besides, Roxas might look like a frankly ridiculous number of people, but that also means they look like <em>him</em>.</p><p>“Yeah,” Sora agrees as Ven and Aqua reach them. “There’s only one Roxas.”</p><p>Roxas is standing on the higher step. He likes that it gives him the illusion of being a couple of inches taller than Ven.</p><p>“Hey,” Ven says, staring up at him like he’s having trouble believing what he’s seeing. “I’m Ventus. Call me Ven.”</p><p>“Hi, I’m Roxas,” Roxas returns, and when Ven smiles at him, his nerves dissipate. Yeah, he’ll be fine. “...Please don’t call me Rox.”</p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>Ven is nothing like Roxas expects him to be. Their personalities are completely different, but in a good way. Roxas knows he’s not exactly an easy conversationalist these days, but Ven seems happy to fill the silence, and doesn’t seem to care if Roxas sometimes comes across more harshly than he means to.</p><p>He decides very quickly that he likes him, and he likes Aqua too, even if he can see himself in the way Ven and Aqua stick together like they can’t bear to be parted.</p><p>In the few hours they have until the last two of the Seven-But-Now-Technically-Eight (give or take about a hundred Nobodies) turn up, Aqua finds a game called Command Board, and they set it up in the Rec Room. There aren’t enough pieces for everyone, so they split into teams of two: Aqua and Ven, Donald and Goofy, Riku and Mickey, and Sora and Roxas. Roxas is pretty sure that together, he and Sora are unbeatable – a belief that continues to grow every time one of the other teams lands on their squares.</p><p>They’re only a turn or two away from winning when something chimes from Sora’s pocket. He pulls out a gummiphone, and as Roxas peers over his shoulder, he realises it’s a message from Kairi.</p><p>“Kairi and Lea are leaving now,” Sora announces to the group. He turns to Roxas. “Honestly, I’m surprised they didn’t come as soon as you contacted them days ago.”</p><p>Roxas frowns. “I didn’t contact them.”</p><p>“What? Why not?”</p><p>“Why would I?” Roxas asks. “I’ve never met either of them.”</p><p>There are blank stares from around the table (extra blank, in Aqua and Ven’s cases).</p><p>Riku rubs at his eyes in exhaustion. “You have no idea who Lea is, do you?”</p><p><em>I’ll give you something to be tired about</em>, Roxas thinks vindictively. “Am I supposed to?”</p><p>He doesn’t get an answer. In the next instant, Sora snatches him by the wrist, drags him over to the cupboard in the corner, and locks him inside. In the dark.</p><p>“Um,” Roxas says to the now closed door.</p><p>Someone on the other side shushes him.</p><p>“Hey-”</p><p>“Shh!” Sora hisses. “It’s a surprise now!”</p><p>Roxas tries to shove open the cupboard, but Sora must be leaning against it because it doesn’t budge. “Did you just forget that I can use the Corridors?”</p><p>“<em>Shhh!”</em></p><p>Roxas huffs, and leans backwards against the wall next to a pile of whatever junk Master Yen Sid stores in here. A head pokes through the wall beside him.</p><p><em>Oh, hey, </em>Roxas says, opting for telepathy so he won’t get harassed again.</p><p>Burger Ring takes in the situation with no small amount of confusion. <em>Why do you not just leave?</em></p><p>He shrugs, and when it disappears back through the wall, he decides to follow it out of sheer spite.</p><p> </p><p>♥</p><p> </p><p>Lea stretches his arms over his head as he and Kairi step out of the Dark Corridor and into Yen Sid’s study. The look he gets sent is a clear reminder that his blatant use of the Corridors wherever he likes is <em>not</em> appreciated here, but as a reminder to <em>Yen Sid</em> that he does not care, Lea pretends he doesn’t see.</p><p>“Long time no see,” he says. Longer for them, though. From their perspective it’s been a couple of months, actually, whereas it’s only been a week or two here.</p><p>“Lea, Kairi,” Yen Sid nods at them. “Your return has been greatly anticipated.”</p><p>“Aw, miss us that much?”</p><p>Yen Sid doesn’t give a response, so Lea decides that’s a yes.</p><p>“It’s good to be back,” Kairi says.</p><p>“The others are all spending the afternoon in the Rec Room, if you wish to join them.” Translation: please leave me alone for one last evening of peace. Lea thinks that’s fair enough.</p><p>“Come on,” he nudges Kairi. “Let’s go crash the party.”</p><p>Kairi leads the way out to the Star Chamber with a laugh. “What party? We haven’t arrived yet.”</p><p>They announce their ‘greatly anticipated’ presence by opening the door as loudly and obnoxiously as possible. The Rec Room is packed, all the other Guardians of Light huddled around some kind of board game on the coffee table. All of them except for Sora, that is, who is pretending to be casually leaning against the cupboard in the corner.</p><p>“We’re back!” Kairi announces.</p><p>There’s a chorus of hellos in varying levels of excitement and recognition. But there’s one voice in the lot that catches Lea’s attention so thoroughly that it basically drowns out the rest. His head whips around so fast his neck cracks, but he barely notices as his eyes lock onto the blond teenager sitting between a blue haired woman and Donald Duck.</p><p>His breath catches. It can’t be. They would have told him. They wouldn’t have kept this secret. But he <em>knows that face-</em></p><p>“Hey, Lea,” the kid says with a soft smile, and the illusion shatters.</p><p>Roxas never knew his real name.</p><p>Almost as an afterthought, vague memories of an afternoon in Radiant Garden when he and Isa were just kids start to filter in. They’d met someone back then who strongly resembled Roxas, hadn’t they? What was his name?</p><p>“Ven,” he remembers. “Man, you haven’t aged a day.” It’s a little terrifying, actually. Dermatologists must hate him.</p><p>Ven runs a hand through his hair awkwardly, and god it’s so painful seeing such a familiar expression on that face and not having it be the person he wants it to be. (No offence to Ven, of course.) “That’s magic for you.”</p><p>“I’ll remember that for when I’m old,” he jokes, but his heart is no longer in it.</p><p>Kairi flops herself down half on top of Riku when he doesn’t move to make room for her, and eyes the apparently abandoned board game.</p><p>“Who’s winning?” she asks. The crown shaped piece is four spaces away from winning.</p><p>“My team!” Sora says.</p><p>“There weren’t enough pieces, so we’re playing in teams of two,” the woman explains.</p><p>“So who’s the other half of Team Sora?” Lea looks to the rest of them, and frowns when he realises the numbers are odd.</p><p>Sora grins, more excited than Lea thinks he’s ever seen him. He pushes off the door, and yanks it open with an excited, “He’s right in here!”</p><p>Lea stares into the cupboard. “I feel like maybe I’m missing something here. Unless you’re teamed up with a pile of spare blankets and a mop.”</p><p>Sora whirls around to face the cupboard. “Oh no, he’s <em>gone!”</em></p><p>“Who’s gone?” Kairi turns to Lea, as if he’s supposed to have a better idea about what goes on in Sora’s head.</p><p>“He <em>did</em> warn you,” Ven laughs.</p><p>“This is awful!” Sora laments, ignoring them all. “He’s <em>loose!!</em>” He abandons the cupboard, leaning over the couch armrest right into Riku’s face. “Quick, Riku, sniff him out!”</p><p>Riku leans back in a futile attempt to regain some personal space. “I... beg your pardon?”</p><p>“Then beg,” Kairi says.</p><p>“I’m not... <em>sniffing </em>anyone out.”</p><p>“But it’s an emergency!” Sora whines.</p><p>“It doesn’t- It doesn’t <em>work like that</em>,” Riku puts a hand over his face and shoves him back. “I can smell darkness but I’m not a <em>bloodhound</em>.”</p><p>Lea watches the exchange caught somewhere between curiosity and fear. “Should I be concerned about you hiding something dark in a cupboard? Or the fact that they’re now ‘loose’?”</p><p>You leave kids alone for a week, and they set creatures of darkness loose in the house. It’s official, Yen Sid is an awful babysitter.</p><p>“Stay here!” Sora orders, gesturing with his hand like Lea is a disobedient pet dog, and runs from the room.</p><p>Lea raises a brow at the lot of them left behind. “Anyone wanna explain what’s going on here?”</p><p>“No” seems to be the general consensus.</p><p><em>Alright then</em>, he thinks, and goes to leave. Goofy grabs his sleeve before he can get far.</p><p>“Trust us, the surprise will be worth it,” he says with a wink, as if that is supposed to reassure him at all.</p><p>Sora bursts back into the room a second later with a packet of Burger Rings and a half full bottle of syrup. He uncaps the syrup and starts waving it around like the world’s weirdest aromatic candle. At least this time Lea isn’t the only one confused.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Donald asks.</p><p>Sora doesn’t even look at him. “He drank like a whole bottle of this the other day.”</p><p>“Can he even smell that?”</p><p>Lea’s level of concern continues to rise to dangerous levels the longer this goes on. He’s not sure how much more he can take.</p><p>“Try Burger Ring,” Riku suggests.</p><p>“Right.” Sora sets the syrup down on the game board and tears open the packet of Burger Rings. “Burger Ring!! <em>Burger Ring?!</em>” He shakes the bag for emphasis. “I’ve got some delicious Burger Rings here!”</p><p>Lea’s on the verge of saying enough is enough when two long, spiked, <em>very familiar </em>arms drop down from the ceiling. The bag of Burger Rings are snatched in an instant, and the Assassin lands elegantly on top of the table. It immediately sticks its entire head into the bag.</p><p>“<em>There </em>you are!” Sora puts his hands on his hips.</p><p>The entire contents of the bag are devoured in an instant. The Assassin drops the now empty packaging, and stoops to inspect the syrup. It doesn’t touch it.</p><p>Lea takes a very deep breath and holds it. “I need you guys to remember that I’ve only had my heart back for a few months. I can’t take these kinds of surprises.”</p><p>The instant he starts talking, the Assassin snaps up to ‘look’ at him. He’s never been afraid of the Assassins before. And he probably shouldn’t be now – he can take it out easy if he needs to. But there’s something very intense about its faceless stare, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little intimidated.</p><p>“I don’t even know if it’s still going to listen to me,” he confesses. “I’m not a Nobody anymore, remember?”</p><p>“What?” Sora frowns, as if he has any right to be more confused than Lea is. “Burger Ring isn’t the surprise.”</p><p>“<em>Burger Ring?</em>”</p><p>‘Burger Ring’ slinks towards him, and Lea has to resist the urge to take a step back.</p><p>“Hey, Burger Ring,” Sora calls, and it stops to turn back to him. Somehow the fact that it answers to Burger Ring is worse than the fact that they’re calling it that. “Where’s your boss?”</p><p>‘Burger Ring’ points one sharp arm at Lea.</p><p>Huh, he muses. Interesting.</p><p>“No,” Sora says, “your other boss.”</p><p>“<em>Other </em>boss? You replaced me?”</p><p>If Nobodies can look guilty, this one definitely does. But anything it has to say for itself is lost on him; he can’t understand Nobodies anymore. He’s wasting his breath.</p><p>“Burger Ring said there’s syrup in here,” Ven suddenly says, “and I want you all to know that if this is a trick to trap me in that cupboard again, I will drag every single one of you to the Agrabah desert and leave you there.”</p><p>Lea turns to him, more confused than ever, but Ven simply shakes his head and points to the doorway.</p><p>“Surprise!” Sora shouts.</p><p>Lea slowly spins around...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>...and immediately forgets how to breathe.</p><p>Because there’s Roxas standing in the doorway, a frown on his face that promises pain to anyone who dares to cross him. Their eyes meet, and the frown melts away until Lea sees his own shock mirrored right back at him.</p><p>“...Axel?”</p><p>It’s him. God, <em>it’s him.</em> He tries to speak, to say his name, but he still hasn’t taken a breath and all that comes out is a noise that could be a laugh or a sob or something else entirely. He doesn’t even realise he’s moved until he’s on his knees in front of him, arms wrapped so tightly around Roxas that any human’s ribs would protest.</p><p>It takes a moment, but Roxas clings back just as desperately. Lea’s tears soak into his jacket, but there’s nothing in the world that could make him let go now. Especially when Roxas, always more human than the rest of them, is crying too.</p><p>“How?” Lea breathes.</p><p>“The Replicas,” Roxas says, voice muffled by his coat. “A week ago.”</p><p>Nothing in the world except that, apparently. Lea pulls back, but keeps a firm grip on Roxas’ shoulders in case he gets any funny ideas about disappearing again.</p><p>“A <em>week?!”</em> he gapes. “And no one told me?!”</p><p>Roxas looks distraught. “You <em>faded. </em>I thought you were <em>dead!” </em>he says. “How are you even here?!”</p><p>This only makes Lea angrier. “No one told <em>you?!”</em> He whirls around as much as he can without toppling Roxas over or letting go. “<em>Guys!”</em></p><p>Everyone except Ven, Kairi, and the blue haired woman are suitably cowed. The other three get a pass because Kairi was training with him, and from the looks of things Ven and the woman have absolutely no idea what’s going on.</p><p>“We thought he knew your name is Lea,” Riku explains. “Your number’s in his phone. We figured he’d tell you himself.”</p><p>“His name is <em>Axel</em>,” Roxas says, all indignant, and Kingdom Hearts Lea has missed him.</p><p>“Yeah, buddy,” Lea drops his head onto Roxas’ shoulder. “I’m also Lea now, though. Got my heart back, and all.”</p><p>Not that it’s doing him any favours right now. He feels like he’s going to die.</p><p>“I’ll explain everything,” he promises. In the corner of his eye, he sees the Assassin moving to stand defensively between them and the others. “But first, I gotta know. <em>Why</em> are we calling that Assassin ‘Burger Ring’?”</p>
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